GARETH VAN ONSELEN: Wonderland: A review of the 1994 ANC manifesto
The ANC of the manifesto — motivated by merit, accountability and compassion— is nothing like today's real-life ANC, in which secrecy, arrogance, deceit and ineptitude drive behaviour
In its time, the ANC’s 1994 manifesto has enjoyed a great many critical reviews. Today, 25 years since it was first published, it remains a staple in the fiction genre. It wove together dreams and truth-telling in equally uplifting and frank fashion, as it effortlessly carried you along to an imagined promised land. But how has its redemptive message held up? Should we consider it a classic?
Written anonymously and released in March 1994, there was, for many years, a great debate in literary circles as to whether the manifesto was in fact fiction at all. It seemed ground in reality. Thus, it garnered a cult-like following among many, who regarded it as no less than the truth and the way. Only in the last decade was it revealed to be a fantasy. And even then, only to some...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.